The size of retinal blood vessels may indicate brain health, which could help detect early signs of dementia and other cognitive diseases.

 

Scientist Idan Shalev of Duke University wondered whether intelligence might serve as a marker indicating the health of the brain, and specifically the health of the system of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nutrients to the brain. To investigate this idea, he used digital retinal imaging. Retinal blood vessels are similar in size to those in the brain and provide clues to brain health.

 

After testing 1,000 people, the researchers discovered that having wider retinal venules was linked with lower IQ scores at age 38. These individuals had cognitive deficits, including verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and executive functioning.

 

“Digital retinal imaging is a tool that is being used today mainly by eye doctors to study diseases of the eye,” said Shalev. “But our initial findings indicate that it may be a useful investigative tool for psychological scientists who want to study the link between intelligence and health across the lifespan.”

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130603135533.htm

Eyecare professionals will need to revisit their understanding of the human eye, as scientists at the University of Nottingham recently discovered a new layer in the cornea.

 

Dua’s Layer, named after the academic who discovered it, Professor Harminder Dua, is located at the back of the cornea, between the corneal stroma and Descemet’s membrane. Although it is just 15 microns thick, it is incredibly tough and is strong enough to be able to withstand one and a half to two bars of pressure. This discovery could help patients undergoing corneal grafts and transplants.

 

“This is a major discovery that will mean that ophthalmology textbooks will literally need to be rewritten,” said professor Dua. “Having identified this new and distinct layer deep in the tissue of the cornea, we can now exploit its presence to make operations much safer and simpler for patients. From a clinical perspective, there are many diseases that affect the back of the cornea which clinicians across the world are already beginning to relate to the presence, absence or tear in this layer.”

Sources: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2013/june/scientists-discover-new-layer-of-the-human-cornea-.aspx

http://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(13)00020-1/abstract

Safilo has signed a nine-year licensing agreement with Fendi for the design, manufacture and worldwide distribution of Fendi optical frames and sunglasses and has renewed its licencing agreement with Marc Jacobs until 2024.

 

Marchon has been the worldwide distributor of Fendi eyewear since 2005. The current agreement will be respected until it ends in January 2014.

 

Proud of the agreement, Roberto Vedovotto, CEO of Safilo, says that Fendi’s fashion know-how will be transferred to the new eyewear collections, thanks to Safilo’s expertise. Pietro Beccari, chairman and CEO of Fendi, says that the two groups share common values and intentions and praises Safilo’s obsession for quality and innovation. 

 

Safilo and Marc Jacobs did not wait for the natural end of the current agreement to announce its renewal to December 31, 2024. “The Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs eyewear collections are a huge success and are considered as trendsetters all over the world,” says Roberto Vedovotto, who attributes the success to Marc Jacobs’s irreverent attitude, which is reflected in its designs.

 

Fendi and Marc Jacobs are both part of the LVMH Group.

Sources: http://www.safilo.com/en/PR_2013-06-12_safilo-group-and-fendi-announce-a-new-9-year-licensing-agreement

http://www.safilo.com/en/PR_2013-06-12_safilo-group-and-marc-jacobs-announce-the-early-renewal-of-the-licensing-agreement-for-marc-jacobs-and-marc-by-marc-j_

 

 

 

Perceptual learning techniques could help older people with central vision loss, according to an article published in Optometry and Vision Science.

 

Perceptual learning is used in the case of young patients with amblyopia. However, until recently, the scientific community thought that the visual system in older adults no longer had enough plasticity to benefit from this approach.

 

The article by Dr. Susana Chung could change that. She found that people with central vision loss could adopt another location in the macula to accomplish their visual tasks. She conducted various experiments on six patients to check whether they could be trained to better see using this part of the eye. The results show that, on average, the patients could read 50% faster after training.

 

The author of the article says that the exercises do not improve visual acuity. Older people still needed large-print books or magnification to see print. And the progress disappeared when the patients stopped training. Yet, the research shows that older patients retain their visual plasticity, which could lead to new vision rehabilitation strategies.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130528100135.htm

Prostaglandin analogues, drugs which lower intraocular pressure, are often prescribed to people with glaucoma. However, a recent study found that they are not harmless.

 

It was already known that prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) could produce certain side effects, such as blurred vision, dryness or changes in eye colour. A new study, recently published in PLOS ONE, describes other side effects, namely the loss of periorbital fat in the upper and lower lid and the presence of ptosis (the drooping of an organ due to slackening of the muscles or ligaments that support it). Ptosis of the upper lid could aggravate visual field loss.

 

The researchers studied 343 patients over 7 months in 2011. “Because PGAs are a first line of treatment for glaucoma, these results provide physicians with one reason to reconsider when they should be added in new patients, particularly those where the aim is to prevent glaucoma such as in ocular hypertension patients or glaucoma suspects,” said Dr. Louis R. Pasquale, director of the Glaucoma Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130521121505.htm